Princess Scorpia
by KathyPrior42
Summary: Scorpia has been loyal to Catra and the Horde for most of her life. In Season 4 (spoilers), she discovers the Black Garnet and traces of her familial past. The lovable leader is now torn between the life she has lived, and a new life she has yet to live.


Scorpia was a princess in the Crimson Waste desert, living with her family in a castle shaped like a scorpion. Her mother was Queen Cerata with white long hair, her father, King Sting, with black hair. Her grandfather, Scorpius, was the king earlier on, with a dark beard and a square head. He was the one who made the alliance with the Horde. Her family owned the Black Garnet, and like other princesses, Scorpia used to be connected to it. Her super strength and ability to paralyze opponents with her tail, were traits she always possessed, even after losing the connection to the Runestone. While she was connected to the Garnet, she possessed powers of darkness, like Shadow Weaver did, also adding to the fears of her from the other kingdoms.

The other princesses and kingdoms distrusted Scorpia's family, due to them being part scorpion and possessing poisonous tails and brute strength…traits not valued in beautiful princesses with elemental powers. As Scorpia was not an elemental princess, nor was she considered "attractive" by feminine standards, she and her family had the short end of the stick in many royal affairs.

Perhaps Scorpia's family so willingly joined the Horde due to either Hordak/Shadow Weaver being manipulative or as an inner desire to show the princesses how wrong they were about their prejudiced attitudes.

When the Horde crash-landed in the desert, Scorpia's family, being on the naïve side, greeted them with open arms and allowed them to stay.

Taking advantage of the family, Hordak offered them a better life away from the harsh conditions of the desert in exchange for the Black Garnet. Scorpia protested, but her family insisted that Hordak could be trusted. Hordak soon gained possession of the Black Garnet, and later gave it to Shadow Weaver for her to use under his supervision.

Thus, Scorpia joined the Horde and grew up learning their rules and ways. Unlike Catra, she attended Force Captain Orientation and learned much about Etheria.

Present Day (Season 4)

On a bedside table, there was a patched up orange stuffed scorpion with two little fangs from its mouth. The jacket with the serpent emblem had been thrown onto the desk. What looked like an egg with cream-colored wave-like patterns was positioned in front of three red crystals. A green Force Captain badge was also there. Standing most prominently, was a picture of baby Scorpia and her parents. Her queen mother had short white hair and wore a white dress with a red crystal necklace. Her father, the king, had black hair and wore elegant robes.

One of the lantern lights hummed and flickered overhead from the metal wall. Scorpia was snoring in her bunk bed, a blue blanket over her. Over the bed was a dreamcatcher of several red hanging crystals. Random drawings of Scorpia and Catra were taped onto the wall. A Horde flag hung from the side of the bed.

Scorpia woke up with a smile on her face, always trying to be positive. She sat up and saluted. "Good morning, world. Force Captain Scorpia reporting for duty."

She got out of bed and stood on the cold floor.

"Wake up, check."

Scorpia walked over to a nearby mirror, checking her teeth with her claw.

"Looking sharp, check."

"Breathe in new day."

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "Check."

She proceeded to put the blanket on the bunk bed. "Make bed, check."

Emily, the robot, cast a glance at a tin of screws, gears, and metal pieces that Scorpia had put out.

"Feed Emily, although I'm still not sure that you eat, check."

Emily's purple light turned on and the bot rolled backwards into the bedside table.

"Hey, careful there," said Scorpia.

The torn navy colored jacket glided to the floor and a red claw picked it up. Scorpia held it up for Emily to see.

"Cool, right? Catra gave it to me in the Crimson Waste. She's got a matching one. It's like, our thing, you know?"

Emily lowered her metal leg and beeped in a low tone.

Scorpia sighed. "I know, I know, she said we're not friends anymore, but she didn't mean it. And maybe I misheard her, there was a lot going on. There was a cannon."

"_Look at us. You and me in the field, side by side. Taking a bunch of random prisoners from a party, putting said prisoner sin a pit, guarding said pit. Ugh, if that doesn't say friendship, I don't know what does. The super pal duo is back." _

"_What about the weapons we confiscated?" Catra asked, ignoring her._

"_Oh yeah, you gotta see this," Scorpia said, running over to a tank and pressing a button. Confetti shot out from the barrel up at the top. _

_Scorpia laughed. "Huh? Huh? I know it's just cut up pieces of paper, but isn't it so much fun?"_

"_We need to focus," Catra groaned, walking away. _

"_She-Ra was in Elberon. Which means she's nearby," Scorpia added running to catch up to Catra. "Do you think she'll try some secret attack?"_

_Catra kept walking, device in hand. "Oh, I'm counting on it."_

_Scorpia stopped in front of her. "Is that why you kidnapped everyone? Some plot against the Princess Alliance? I could help you if I knew what you were up to. You know, like old times."_

"_It's for a new strategy. That's all you need to know," Catra deadpanned._

"_Oh, yeah, sure, sure, gotcha. Uh, feeling a little left out is all. You know, ever since the whole portal thing."_

"_Get over it, then."_

_After the battle on their usual spot on the highest point of the metal building…the sky red, and a second moon full…_

"_Catra, there you are," Scorpia said, walking over. Catra sat on the edge, angry over She-Ra's escape. Scorpia sat by her._

"_Are you okay? Don't worry about that Adora stuff. I'm here and there's nothing we can't fix, because that's what friends are for. I'm sure Hordak will understand. Oh, and if Entrapta were here, maybe we could…"_

"_Stop it!" Catra suddenly spat, standing. "Stop badgering me. Stop hovering around me. Just back off. I don't need to explain myself to you. We're not friends."_

_Scorpia just stared straight ahead, not believing what she had just heard. Her world…her heart, shattered into pieces. Catra's words hurt more than any scorpion sting ever could. _

"_Oh and Scorpia?" Catra added from behind. "Keep Emily out of my sight or I'll sell her for scrap. Understand?"_

_She grinned evilly and walked back into the shadows, leaving Scorpia sitting alone. With Entrapta missing and Catra storming off, Emily was the only friend she currently had by her side. For her sake and Entrapta's, Emily had to stay alive and intact._

Pushing the memory aside, Scorpia put the jacket back on the table. Looking at herself in the mirror, she closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"Push down doubts and insecurities…"

She sighed…

"…check."

Feeling alert, Scorpia walked out of her room and made her way down the dark hallway.

"I am brave, strong, loyal, and I give great hugs. And I am going to be the best friend I can be!"

The metal doors opened to reveal the Horde soldiers running and yelling frantically around the room.

"Come on! Let's go!" one barked.

"Move! What are you doing?" chided another.

Several of them were rushing around, carrying metal crates to be put to use or in storage.

With a yell, one of the soldiers fell off a balcony and to the ground, bits of metal littering the floor. An array of pipes were positioned under the balcony above the ground.

The shouts continued.

"Darryl! Seriously?"

"Watch out! I'm coming through…"

"Yep, today will be a great day," Scorpia reassured herself through the daily chaos and a random explosion that sent smoke in the air.

After helping to calm down some of the soldiers and doing her morning tasks, Scorpia carried a gray cup of hot tea down another hallway. She heard scuffling behind her; she looked but no one was there. Shrugging her shoulders, she continued walking, only to hear the noise again.

Emily moved out of the way out of Scorpia's line of sight. She giggled and continued on.

Emily moved again, but this time, Scorpia looked left and right, finally spotting the tender bot.

"Emily! You know you're supposed to stay in my room. You little scamp."

Emily beeped and whined.

"Come on, no guilt-trip. It's for your own good. We can't let Catra see you. And right now, I'm bringing her a cup of my famous soothing tea. Old family recipe. If anyone could use a pick-me-up, it's Catra."

Emily whined again, lowered her head and slowly walked back. The bot turned around.

"Go on," said Scorpia.

Emily turned around again.

Scorpia hesitated, then gave in. "Okay, you can come. Can't say no to that cute little face."

Emily rushed over to her, then quickly zoomed away in fright.

""Hey, where are you…"

"Who are you talking to?"

Scorpia recognized the familiar voice and nearly spilled her tea.

"Catra!" she exclaimed nervously. "Oh! Hot! Okay. Boy, wow, you can really, ha, ha, sneak up on a gal. Ahem." She cleared her throat.

She took a closer look at Catra, the feline's arms crossed, and large bags under her different colored eyes. Red veins popped out in her eyes, her yellow eye twitching. Scorpia became quite concerned.

"Are you okay? You don't look so good. Have you been getting enough sleep?"

Scorpia held out the cup. "Here, I made you some…"

"I didn't ask for your opinion," Catra responded. "I have a job for you. I need you to find Entrapta's recordings. That thingy she was always babbling into."

"You want Entrapta's recordings? Does this mean…"

_Getting Entrapta back?_

"It means that Hordak needs them."

Catra sighed, placing her hand on her forehead. "I'm so close. If I can pull this off, everything, everything will have been worth it. Find me those recordings so I can finish this."

Sounded easy enough.

"Yes! Yes, I'll find them, I promise," Scorpia assured. "Did you want any of the tea?"

A silence.

"You know what, it's not a…"

Catra snatched the cup from Scorpia's claws and chugged down the entire thing. She threw the cup to the ground. "What are you still doing here?" She growled and stomped off.

Scorpia smiled, already feeling like she had accomplished something. She walked outside with Emily. Soldiers were busy loading cargo into trucks, doing shifts, or patrolling. The sky was orange and red with sunset colors.

"See, Emily? What did I tell you? Catra just needed a loyal friend. I'll find those recordings and then she can relax and things will go back to normal."

She stopped short, noticing Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio loading heavy crates into a vehicle.

"Scorpia!" called Lonnie. "A little help?"

Scorpia lifted up a crate that Rogelio was pushing, the lizard hanging on for dear life.

"Hey, guys. Can't stay long. I'm on a super important top-secret mission for Catra. Catra shook the crate, Rogelio struggling to hold on.

Lonnie glared. "Good luck with that. I'm sure Catra will be super grateful." Her voice was iced with sarcasm and anger.

"Uh, yeah. Of course she'll be grateful," said Scorpia, dropping the crate. She began taking the crates out of the vehicle and placing them on the ground.

"Everything Catra's done has been to help the Horde. And if we stick with her, keep doing our jobs, I know she'll notice. You know, eventually."

"Yeah, right," Lonnie scoffed. She mentioned to two soldiers limping back from a mission, one supporting the other. "Our guys are getting attacked on the Northern Perimeter, and Catra's letting it happen. She doesn't care about any of us."

Scorpia repressed any thoughts of denial. "No. No you're wrong, Catra's under a lot of pressure, and maybe she just…"

"When are you going to wake up?!" Lonnie exclaimed. Then she looked down. "Hey! We were supposed to be loading these onto the transport. Scorpia…ugh. Just get out of here. We've got real work to do."

"Good idea. You do your job, I'll go do mine. Just a well-oiled machine."

Scorpia wondered into the crowded room and sat on a couch. A box of old mechanical parts was in front of her. She rummaged through it and threw them behind her, finding a robot arm, a pipe, a screw…"

"Anything yet?" she called behind her.

Emily appeared from inside a box and shook her head.

"I know we've looked everywhere, but it's got to be here somewhere."

Scorpia peered underneath the couch and pulled out a picture.

A burst of nostalgic emotions flooded through her. It was a picture of her and Entrapta smiling on the couch, with Catra pouting in the middle. Entrapta did a peace sign with her hair and Scorpia's mouth was wide in a laugh. Emily posed in the background.

"Super Pal Trio. Man those were good times, huh?"

Scorpia shook her head. "Focus! Scorpia, you can't let Catra down. Think like Entrapta. Think like Entrapta."

In a silly robotic voice, Scorpia burst out a yell: "Bots!"

She hung upside down. "Hordak," and fell with a thump.

"Tiny food. Uh, First One's Tech. Runestones."

Then an idea came to her. "The Black Garnet Chamber!" she cried in her normal voice.

Scorpia typed in a code and the metal door opened. The chamber was dark and full of spider webs. The Black Garnet stood dark and silent in the center of the room. Red crystals stood in holders on the wall.

Scorpia quietly walked inside, Emily behind her.

"Yeah, this place also gives me the creeps. But some of Entrapta's stuff is still in here, so, the recordings might be, too."

Scorpia bent down and laughed. "Wow. So many good times in here, huh? That time Entrapta hacked the Black Garnet. That time Shadow Weaver tried to kill us. And before that…"

Scorpia stared at her reflection in the crystal.

"You're not gonna believe this Emily, but I'm actually a princess."

Emily stood up in surprise.

"I know, right? That's what they all say."

She laughed. "It's ridiculous, I know, but it's true. The Fright Zone used to be my family's kingdom. But then Hordak showed up and, well, you know, the rest is history. It's not like the Black Garnet ever worked for me anyway."

A faint whooshing sound came from the crystal, a magical pulsing that seemed to draw her in. She lifted her claw to touch the Garnet…then pulled back.

"Ah, it's for the best. I mean, can you imagine? Me, a princess?"

She sighed and took a deep breath. "I just need to find those recordings and then…"

Emily gave her a playful nudge and Scorpia smiled. A light shined from Emily's light purple center, creating a projector onto the wall. Scorpia turned to look at the recorded video. It was of Entrapta, Scorpia, and Catra getting ready for a mission to retrieve First Ones tech in the icy wilderness.

Scorpia first heard Entrapta's voice and saw her on screen.

"_Commencing experiment number 703. Ready, Emily?"_

"Entrapta?" breathed Scorpia.

_Entrapta laughed as she looked at the camera. "Success! In addition to uploading back-ups of my logs into Emily's hard drive, I've upgraded her to record visual data. Hi!"_

_Entrapta backed up. "Now when an experiment blows up and I lose all memory of that day, I'll still have record of the research."_

_She used her hair to pull Catra and Scorpia in close. "Everyone smile!"_

_Catra shoved her off. "I told you to be ready to leave. Have you even started packing?"_

"_I'm a scientist," Entrapta replied. "The only thing I'll need in the Northern Reach is my mind! Also my giant drill."_

_She mentioned to another device with her hair._

"_Also… everything in this room."_

_Scorpia raised her arms in a cheer. "Super Pal Trio field trip! I can't wait. We can watch the snow fall, drink hot cocoa…"_

"_Can the hot cocoas be tiny?" asked Entrapta._

_Catra groaned in frustration. "We're there to dig up First Ones tech. We're not making cocoa."_

"_That's my wildcat, always on goal," Scorpia praised. "What do you think is buried out there, anyway?"_

"_Oh…something big!" Entrapta exclaimed in excitement._

_Catra crossed her arms. "Who cares? Pack your stuff and let's go already."_

_Scorpia spoke in a whisper, "I'll bring the cocoa if you bring the tiny mugs."_

_Entrapta laughed. "It's a date."_

"_Yeah!" Scorpia said as the girls high fived, Entrapta using her hair._

The projector turned off.

"I miss her," Scorpia said, sadly.

Then a realization came to her, and she turned toward Emily. "Wait, Entrapta's recordings? She stored them inside you?"

She picked up Emily. "We did it, you beautiful bot! We found them! We've got to tell Catra that…"

Emily beeped several times.

"Well, can't you just take them out? Not possible?"

Emily made more noises and the purple lights moved around her head.

"They're deeply ingrained in your processor and can't be accessed without dismantling you?"

Emily nodded and Scorpia lowered her.

"Catra needs these recordings, and I wanna be there for her. I'm loyal, that's my whole thing."

Emily jumped away and hid behind the Garnet in fear.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Scorpia said. "She wouldn't hurt you. She wouldn't. Even though the recordings are inside you, and she's kind of said the words "scrap metal" and "Emily" a lot."

Scorpia stood, conflicted.

"Come on, I know a great place to hide. I mean, think, not hide. We're not hiding. We're thinking, that's it."

Emily slowly followed Scorpia out the door.

Scorpia led the way to an old hideout, through a blocky entrance appeared to be made of crystal. The interior was dark and abandoned. Torn Horde flags hung to the sides. Wall paintings of other members of Scorpia's race were displayed to the sides.

"Welcome to Horror Hall. It was part of the Royal Scorpion Family's kingdom, but nobody comes here anymore. I would sneak down here to hide when I was a kid. Yeah."

In front of her was the remainder ruin of a throne. On the center wall was a mural of the royal family. Scropia's grandfather stood in the center as the high king. He had a dark beard and a square head. He was standing between Scorpia's parents, Scorpia's aunt and uncle off to the side.

"Oh! Check out these guys! That's Pointy."

She pointed to a Scorpion human wearing a battle helmet in a dance with a woman wearing a robe covering her face. Both had scorpion claws for hands.

"Over there is Captain Pointy."

A large man with black hair, gray claws, wore a white and red uniform.

"And this here is the widow, Madame Pointessa."

A butler held up a piece of cactus on a platter, presenting it to two lovely ladies. One lady with short brown hair wearing an elegant red dress another woman with dark black long hair, wearing a dress of white and pink.

"Okay, fine, I made those up," Scorpia admitted. "I don't know their names. But this, this guy, this is my granddad, the king."

She mentioned to the central man dressed in royal garb, with a brown mustache and beard goatee.

"He was the greatest. That's what the Horde told me, anyway. I don't remember him. I was too young. I have Granddad to thank for my opportunities in life. He made the alliance with Hordak. As part of it, our kingdom gave up our Runestone, and princess. My granddad must've known I'd be happier as a soldier. And I made friends in the Horde, like you."

Scopria glanced over to where Emily was looking. A Horde symbol was slashed over another painting of a man with white hair, dark skin, and red claws.

"Ah. Okay well, things didn't exactly work out for my kingdom. But Granddad stayed loyal to the end. That's what scorpions do best. Brave, loyal, great hugs."

Scorpia stood, eyes downcast, raging conflicts flooding through her mind. One part of her wanted to stay loyal to Catra and the Horde. It was what she had willed herself to do ever since she first came to the Horde.

But the other untapped part…

She wondered what it'd be like to be a princess, to be reunited with her family in the Crimson Waste. She barely even remembered her parents, let alone her grandfather. She felt like something crucial to her past and herself, was missing…an empty void that longed to be filled.

And Catra…she could be trusted, right? Why had she said all those cruel things to her? Surely Scorpia hadn't done anything wrong. But if Catra was really that cruel, and was willing to hurt Emily to get her way…"

Fresh tears threatened to pour down from her eyes, but she held them in.

Nature versus nurture…Princess versus Force Captain…to keep Catra or to let her go…

For a moment, Scorpia hardly knew who she was anymore.

Emily leaned in lovingly, and Scorpia wrapped her arms around her.

Scorpia stood up. "I need to be there for Catra. I'll just tell her about the recordings. She is my friend, and she will not hurt you if I ask her not to."

Emily shook her metal head and turned on the projector again.

This time, an event was displayed that filled Scorpia with dread.

Staring with Catra's angry voice that she heard.

"_I don't care what it takes. We are opening that portal now!"_

"_No! I won't!" Entrapta protested. "I need to tell Hordak. He'll understand…"_

Scorpia covered her face as she heard Entrapta's pained screams and the sizzling of electricity.

"_Get her out of here!" Catra yelled._

"_What do you want be to do with her?" asked the goon._

"_I don't care! Just get rid of her."_

"She was threatened. She didn't mean it," Scorpia said out loud, though even she was starting to doubt herself.

"_Put her on the transport to Beast Island."_

_Scorpia's protest rang out. "Beast Island?! You can't!"_

_Catra aimed her laser baton at her. "You wanna be next?"_

The projector turned off and Scorpia lowered her head.

"Catra betrayed her." Catra betrayed Entrapta.

"She betrayed me and I just let her take Entrapta away."

Then Scorpia said something that she never imagined would come out of her mouth. "Catra doesn't care. She'll hurt people to get her way. If she knew the recordings were inside you…"

"But I still have time. I can still be a good friend."

Scorpia hid Emily within a pile of rocks and walked back over to the Fright Zone. Rummaging around the room full of junk, she found a piece of metal that looked like a hard drive. Catra paced back and forth in the hallway. Scorpia arrived and Catra glared.

"You better have something for me."

"Entrapta's recordings. She stored them all in Emily."

Catra grinned and took the piece from her. She observed it and narrowed her eyes.

"The chip got damaged when I extracted it, but hopefully that won't matter. It was just so small, and, you know, pincers."

Catra clenched her fists.

"You broke the recordings?"

"I didn't mean to."

Catra tossed the piece aside and blurted out with anger in her voice. "I asked you to do one thing. One simple thing, and you completely ruined it! But of course you ruined it. Yeah. You're Scorpia. That's just what you do. You couldn't handle Emily, you never know when to shut up. The only thing you've ever done is get in my way!"

Every word pierced Scorpia's heart.

"I mean, how can you possibly be this useless?"

A tense silence.

"What?"

Gathering her courage, Scorpia spoke harsh truthful words: "You're a bad friend."

Scorpia then sadly walked away.

She made it back to the hideout and Emily burst form the rock pile. Like an excited dog, Emily bonded over to Scorpia and she gave the bot a hug.

"Okay, I bought us some time. Catra didn't know that was just old junk or that I was lying to her. There's nothing I can do for her, but maybe I can still help Entrapta."

Scorpia slung a backpack over her broad shoulders.

"Ready for a Super Pal Duo field trip?"

Emily nodded and walked beside Scorpia out into the light.

"We're getting out of here, Emily, for good."

At that moment, Scorpia felt a flicker of hope. If she could somehow reconnect with the Black Garnet, and find her place among the princesses, then maybe she could avenge her family in a sense. And saving Entrapta would require more than just one person.

The two of them set off for…out of all places…Bright Moon.

(To be continued…)


End file.
